Cole DeLaune: Kristi Noem is best candidate for Senate seat

In a battleground that could determine control of Capitol Hill's upper chamber, an array of communities — including the Indian tribes of the state, as well as Dakota women of every heritage — should hope they have the opportunity to reject the [Mike] Rounds campaign and support another possible Republican nominee, Congresswoman Kristi Noem. Because although there is much to like in the initially conciliatory rhetoric deployed by the former governor as he makes his opening media tour, a cursory glance at the cornerstone legislation and defining controversies of his administration reveals a troubling history of parliamentary misogyny and philosophical tone-deafness that will inevitably prove deleterious to both the GOP and the public at large.

As a mother, rancher, and small business owner who has proven to be a prominent advocate for economic development in Indian country, Congresswoman Noem is the most viable substitute for Rounds on the right. A champion of House Resolution 2355, which reaffirms the self-autonomy of businesses on tribal territories outside the jurisdictional scope of the National Labor Relations Board, she has also suggested the establishment of a permanent Office of Tribal Relations in the Department of Agriculture. Earlier this month, she offered an amendment to the SKILLS Act guaranteeing funding for Native American workforce grants that won passage. In the 2012 iteration of VAWA, she introduced language to ensure that vulnerable indigenous women could petition a federal court either individually or through their respective nations for restraining orders.